TW202027198A - A cluster processing system for forming a transition metal material - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods for forming a transition metal material on a substrate and thermal processing such metal containing material in a cluster processing system are provided. In one embodiment, a method for a device structure for semiconductor devices includes forming a two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide layer on a substrate in a first processing chamber disposed in a cluster processing system, thermally treating the two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide layer to form a treated metal layer in a second processing chamber disposed in the cluster processing system, and forming a capping layer on the treated metal layer in a third processing chamber disposed in the cluster processing system.

Description

Cluster processing system for forming transition metal materials

The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for forming metal-containing materials. More specifically, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods for forming metal-containing materials for device structures that have minimal air exposure during the manufacture of semiconductor devices to prevent excessive oxidation.

Reliably generating sub-half micron and smaller features is one of the key technical challenges for the next generation of very large integrated circuits (VLSI) and ultra-large integrated circuits (ULSI) of semiconductor components. However, with the advancement of circuit technology limits, the size of VLSI and ULSI interconnection technologies continues to shrink, placing higher demands on processing capabilities. Reliable formation of the gate structure on the substrate is important to the success of VLSI and ULSI, as well as to continuous efforts to improve circuit density and the quality of individual substrates and die.

As the size of integrated circuit components decreases (for example, down to deep sub-micron sizes), the materials used to manufacture such components must be carefully selected to obtain a satisfactory level of electrical performance.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, the surface of a metal wire formed of a dielectric bulk insulating material is exposed to air. Before the subsequent metallization process to form a device structure on the exposed metal, the substrate can be transferred between different vacuum environments to perform different processing steps. During the transfer, the substrate may have to stay outside the processing chamber or controlled environment for a period of time, called queue time (Q time). During Q time, the substrate is exposed to ambient conditions, including oxygen and water at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. As a result, substrates that are subjected to oxidizing conditions in the surrounding environment may accumulate natural oxides or contaminants on the metal surface before the subsequent metallization process or interconnect manufacturing process.

In addition, when the natural oxide at the interface is formed, poor adhesion at the interface may also lead to undesirably high contact resistance, resulting in poor electrical performance of the device. In addition, the poor nucleation of metal elements in the device structure not only affects the electrical performance of the device, but also affects the integration of conductive contact materials subsequently formed thereon.

Recently, layered transition metal chalcogenides (transition metal dichalcogenides) are two-dimensional semiconductor materials often used in channel structures. Transition metal chalcogenides have properties such as direct band gap, strong spin-orbit coupling, and lack of inversion centers, which makes transition metal chalcogenides ideal for electronic applications. In addition, transferring the substrate when the transition metal chalcogenide is exposed usually results in the oxidation of the transition metal chalcogenide, which ultimately leads to poor electrical performance of the device structure.

Therefore, there is still a need in the art for an improved method of forming transition metal chalcogenides on a substrate, which has good interface quality control and exposes the metal with minimal substrate oxidation.

A method of forming a metal-containing material on a substrate and heat treating the metal-containing material in a cluster processing system is provided. In one embodiment, a method for an element structure of a semiconductor element includes forming a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide (two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide) on a substrate provided in a first processing chamber in a cluster processing system. ) Layer, heat-treating the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer to form a treated metal layer in the second processing chamber provided in the cluster processing system, and in the third processing chamber provided in the cluster processing system A covering layer is formed on the treated metal layer in the.

In another embodiment, a method for the element structure of a semiconductor element includes performing a first deposition process on a substrate to form a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer in a cluster processing system without breaking a vacuum. The two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer is thermally treated in the processing system without breaking the vacuum, and the second deposition process is performed in the cluster processing system without breaking the vacuum to form the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer Covering layer.

In yet another embodiment, a cluster processing system includes a first deposition chamber configured to form a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer, wherein the first deposition chamber is an atomic layer deposition chamber or Chemical vapor deposition chamber, annealing chamber, second deposition chamber, and pre-cleaning chamber.

A method for forming a metal-containing material on a substrate with good coverage and protection in a semiconductor element is provided. The metal-containing material is a material containing a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide (transition metal dichalcogenide). The pre-cleaning treatment, the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide deposition treatment, the annealing treatment, and the capping layer deposition treatment can all be integrally formed in a single cluster system with multiple types of processing chambers and integration. Thereby, it is possible to form the metal-containing material and the coating layer formed thereon together with the annealing treatment in the cluster processing system without breaking the vacuum (for example, the substrate is not exposed to the atmosphere in the cluster processing system), making it possible to eliminate Possibility of contamination and pollution from the air and environment. In addition, by forming an appropriate cover protection structure formed on the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide material in a timely manner, it is possible to eliminate the possibility of electron migration, metal oxidation, or metal line ejection/diffusion, so as not to reduce device performance. Circumstances increase manufacturing flexibility.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an illustrative processing chamber 100 suitable for performing a substrate pre-cleaning process as described further below. The processing chamber 100 may be configured to remove natural oxides or surface contamination from the surface of the substrate. The processing chamber 100 is particularly useful for performing remote plasma surface cleaning processing. The processing chamber 100 may be a Frontier ^™ , PCxT Reactive Preclean ^™ (RPC), AKTIV Pre-Clean ^™ , Siconi ^™, or Capa ^™ chamber, which can be obtained from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, California. It should be noted that other vacuum processing chambers available from other manufacturers are also suitable for implementing the present disclosure.

The processing chamber 100 includes a chamber body 112, a cover assembly 123, and a support assembly 180. The cover assembly 123 is disposed at the upper end of the chamber body 112, and the support assembly 180 is at least partially disposed in the chamber body 112.

The chamber body 112 includes a slit valve opening 114 formed in a side wall thereof to provide an access path to the inside of the processing chamber 100. The slit valve opening 114 is selectively opened and closed to allow a wafer processing robot (not shown) to enter the interior of the chamber body 112.

In one or more implementations, the chamber body 112 includes a channel 115 formed therein for the heat transfer fluid to flow therethrough. The chamber body 112 may further include a gasket 120 surrounding the support assembly 180. The liner 120 is removable for maintenance and cleaning. In one or more embodiments, the gasket 120 includes one or more holes 125 and a pump channel 129 formed therein in fluid communication with the vacuum system. The hole 125 provides a flow path for the gas to enter the pump channel 129, and the pump channel 129 provides an outlet for the gas in the processing chamber 100.

The vacuum system may include a vacuum pump 130 and a throttle valve 132 to adjust the flow of gas through the processing chamber 100. The vacuum pump 130 is coupled to a vacuum port 131 provided in the chamber body 112 and thus is in fluid communication with a pump channel 129 formed in the gasket 120.

The remote plasma system 110 can process halogen-containing precursors, such as fluorine-containing precursors, and then the precursors travel through the intake assembly 111. Two different gas supply channels (the first channel 109 and the second channel 113) can be seen in the intake assembly 111. The first channel 109 carries the gas passing through the remote plasma system (RPS) 110, and the second channel 113 bypasses the remote plasma system 110. Channel 109 or channel 113 can be used for halogen-containing precursors. On the other hand, the first channel 109 can be used for process gas, and the second channel 113 can be used for treatment gas. The illustration shows a cover assembly (or conductive top) 123 and a perforated partition 153 (or called a shower head) with an insulating ring 124 between them, which allows an AC potential to be applied to the cover assembly 123 relative to the perforated partition 153 . The AC potential strikes the plasma in the plasma region 121 of the chamber. The processing gas may travel through the first channel 109 into the chamber plasma region 121 and may be excited by the plasma in the chamber plasma region 121 alone or in combination with the remote plasma system 110. If the processing gas flows through the second channel 113, only the chamber plasma region 121 is used for excitation. The combination of the chamber plasma region 121 and/or the remote plasma system 110 may be referred to herein as a remote plasma system. A perforated partition (also referred to as a shower head) 153 separates the chamber plasma area 121 from the substrate processing area 141 under the perforated partition 153. The perforated partition 153 allows the plasma present in the chamber plasma region 121 to avoid directly exciting the gas in the substrate processing region 141, while still allowing the excited substances to travel from the chamber plasma region 121 to the substrate processing region 141.

The perforated partition 153 is located between the chamber plasma area 121 and the substrate processing area 141, and allows the plasma effluent (precursor or other gas) generated in the remote plasma system 110 and/or the chamber plasma area 121 The excitation derivative of) passes through a plurality of through holes 156. The perforated partition 153 also has one or more hollow volumes 151, which can be filled with a precursor in the form of vapor or gas and enter the substrate processing area 141 through the through hole 156 but not directly enter the chamber plasma area 121 . In order to maintain a significant concentration of the excited species that penetrates from the chamber plasma region 121 to the substrate processing region 141, the length 126 of the through hole 156 may be limited and configured in different configurations as needed.

The perforated partition 153 can be configured to serve as an ion suppressor as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, a separate processing chamber element (not shown) may be included, which suppresses ion concentration traveling into the substrate processing region 141. The cover assembly 123 and the perforated separator 153 can function as the first electrode and the second electrode, respectively, so that the cover assembly 123 and the perforated separator 153 can receive different voltages. In such configurations, power (eg, RF power) can be applied to the cover 123, the perforated partition 153, or both. For example, power may be applied to the cover assembly 123 while the perforated partition 153 (serving as an ion suppressor) is grounded. The substrate processing chamber 100 may include an RF generator, and the RF generator provides power to the cover assembly 123 and/or the perforated partition 153 as required. The voltage applied to the cover assembly 123 can promote uniform distribution of plasma in the plasma region 121 of the chamber (ie, reduce local plasma). In order to be able to form plasma in the plasma region 121 of the chamber, the insulating ring 124 may electrically insulate the cover assembly 123 from the perforated partition 153. The insulating ring 124 may be made of ceramic and may have a high breakdown voltage to avoid sparking. The portion of the substrate processing chamber 100 near the capacitively coupled plasma element just described may further include a cooling unit (not shown), the cooling unit including one or more cooling fluid channels to utilize circulating coolant (for example, water) Cool the surface exposed to the plasma.

In the illustrated embodiment, after being excited by the plasma in the plasma region 121 of the chamber, the perforated partition 153 can distribute (via the through holes 156) the processing gas, including hydrogen, fluorine, and/or electricity of the processing gas. Pulp effluent. In an embodiment, the processing gas introduced into the remote plasma system 110 and/or the chamber plasma region 121 may contain fluorine (for example, F ₂ or HF). The processing gas can also include carrier gas, such as helium, argon, hydrogen (H ₂ ), and so on. The plasma effluent may include ionized or neutral derivatives of the process gas, and can also be referred to herein as radical-fluorine, which refers to the atomic composition of the introduced process gas.

The through hole 156 is configured to inhibit the migration of ionically charged species from the chamber plasma region 121 while allowing uncharged neutral or radical species to pass through the perforated partition 153 and enter the substrate processing region 141. The uncharged substances may include highly reactive substances which are transported together with the low reactive carrier gas through the through holes 156. As described above, the migration of ion species caused by the through holes 156 can be reduced, and can be completely suppressed in some cases. Controlling the amount of ionic species passing through the perforated partition 153 provides increased control of the gas mixture in contact with the underlying wafer substrate, which in turn increases the control of the deposition and/or etching characteristics of the gas mixture. For example, adjustment of the ion concentration of the gas mixture can significantly change its etching selectivity (for example, silicon nitride/oxide: silicon etching ratio).

In an embodiment, the number of through holes 156 may be between about 60 to about 2000. The through hole 156 may have various shapes, but is most easily made into a circular shape. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole is also free to choose, and the through hole can be made into a conical shape, a cylindrical shape, or a combination of the two shapes. The through hole 156 may be configured to control the passage of plasma-activated gas (ie, ions, radicals, and/or neutral substances) through the perforated partition 153. For example, the aspect ratio of the hole (ie, the diameter of the hole to the length) and/or the geometric shape of the hole can be controlled to reduce the flow of ionically charged species in the activated gas passing through the perforated separator 153. The through hole 156 in the perforated partition 153 may include a tapered portion facing the chamber plasma region 121 and a cylindrical portion facing the substrate processing region 141. The proportion and size of the cylindrical portion can be adjusted to control the flow of ionic substances into the substrate processing area 141. An adjustable electrical bias can also be applied to the perforated partition 153 as an additional means of controlling the flow of ionic species through the perforated partition 153.

Alternatively, the through hole 156 may have a smaller inner diameter (ID) toward the top surface of the perforated partition 153 and a larger ID toward the bottom surface. In addition, the bottom edge of the through hole 156 may be chamfered to help uniformly distribute the plasma effluent in the substrate processing area 141 and promote uniform distribution of the plasma effluent and the precursor gas when the plasma effluent leaves the showerhead. The smaller ID can be placed in multiple locations along the through hole 156 and still allow the perforated partition 153 to reduce the ion density in the substrate processing area 141. The decrease in ion density is due to the increase in the number of collisions with the wall before entering the substrate processing area 141. Each collision increases the probability that the ion will gain or lose electrons from the wall and be neutralized. In general, the smaller ID of the through hole 156 may be between about 0.2 mm and about 20 mm. In other embodiments, the smaller ID may be between about 1 mm and 6 mm or between about 0.2 mm and about 5 mm. In addition, the aspect ratio of the through hole 156 (that is, the smaller ID to the hole length) may be about 1 to 20. The smaller ID of the through hole 156 may be the smallest ID found along the length of the through hole. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 156 may be substantially cylindrical, conical, or any combination thereof.

The support assembly 180 may include a support member 185 to support a substrate (not shown in Figure 1) for processing in the chamber body 112. The support member 185 may be coupled to the lifting mechanism 183 via a shaft 187 that extends through a centrally located opening 116 formed in the bottom surface of the chamber body 112. The lifting mechanism 183 may be flexibly sealed to the chamber body 112 via a bellows 188, which prevents vacuum leakage from around the shaft 187.

The support member 185 may include a hole 192 formed therethrough to accommodate the lift pins 193, wherein one of the lift pins 193 is illustrated in FIG. 1. Each lift pin 193 is made of ceramic or ceramic-containing material, and is used for substrate processing and transportation. When engaged with the annular lifting ring 195 disposed in the chamber main body 112, the lifting pin 193 can move in its corresponding hole 192. The support assembly 180 may further include an edge ring 196 disposed around the support member 185.

The temperature of the support assembly 180 may be controlled by the fluid circulating through the fluid channel 198 embedded in the main body of the support member 185. In one or more implementations, the fluid channel 198 is in fluid communication with a heat transfer tube 199 disposed through the shaft 187 of the support assembly 180. The fluid channel 198 is positioned around the support member 185 to provide uniform heat transfer to the substrate receiving surface of the support member 185. The fluid channel 198 and the heat transfer pipe 199 can flow a heat transfer fluid to heat or cool the support member 185. Any suitable heat transfer fluid can be used, such as water, nitrogen, ethylene glycol, or mixtures thereof. The support assembly 180 may further include an embedded thermocouple (not shown) for monitoring the temperature of the support surface of the support member 185. For example, the signal from the thermocouple can be used in a feedback loop to control the temperature or flow rate of the fluid circulating through the fluid channel 198.

The support member 185 can move vertically within the chamber body 112, so that the distance between the support member 185 and the cover assembly 140 can be controlled. A sensor (not shown) can provide information about the position of the support member 185 in the processing chamber 100.

A system controller (not shown) can be used to adjust the operation of the processing chamber 100. The system controller can operate under the control of a computer program stored in the computer's memory. The computer program may include instructions that enable the pre-cleaning process described below to be performed in the processing chamber 100. For example, a computer program can specify processing sequence and time, gas mixing, chamber pressure, RF power level, susceptor positioning, slit valve opening and closing, wafer cooling, and other parameters for specific processing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of an atomic layer deposition (ALD) processing chamber 200. The ALD processing chamber 200 includes a gas delivery device 230 suitable for cyclic deposition such as ALD or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The terms ALD and CVD as used herein refer to the sequential introduction of reactants to deposit thin layers on a substrate structure. The sequential introduction of reactants can be repeated to deposit a plurality of thin layers to form a conformal layer with a desired thickness. The chamber 200 is also suitable for other deposition techniques and lithography processing.

The chamber 200 includes a chamber body 229 having a bottom 232. The slit valve channel 233 formed through the chamber body 229 provides access for the robot (not shown) to transfer and retrieve the substrate 201 (such as 200 mm, 300 mm, or 450 mm semiconductor substrate or glass substrate) from the chamber 200 aisle.

The substrate support 292 is provided in the chamber 200 and supports the substrate 201 during processing. The substrate support 292 is installed to the elevator 214 to raise and lower the substrate support 292 and the substrate 201 arranged thereon. The lifting plate 216 is connected to a lifting plate actuator 218 that controls the height of the lifting plate 216. The lifting plate 216 can be raised and lowered to raise and lower the pin 220 movably provided through the substrate support 292. The pins 220 are used to raise and lower the substrate 201 above the surface of the substrate support 292. The substrate support 292 may include a vacuum chuck, an electrostatic chuck, or a clamping ring for fixing the substrate 201 to the surface of the substrate support 292 during processing.

The substrate support 292 may be heated to heat the substrate 201 disposed thereon. For example, an embedded heating element such as a resistance heater may be used to heat the substrate support 292, or radiant heat such as a heating lamp provided above the substrate support 292 may be used to heat the substrate support 292. The purge ring 222 may be disposed on the substrate support 292 to define a purge channel 224, and the purge channel 224 provides a purge gas to the peripheral portion of the substrate 201 to prevent deposition thereon.

The gas delivery device 230 is provided at the upper portion of the chamber main body 229 to provide the chamber 200 with a gas such as a processing gas and/or a purge gas. The pump system 278 communicates with the pump channel 279 to exhaust any required gas from the chamber 200 and help maintain the required pressure or the required pressure range in the pump area 166 of the chamber 200.

In an embodiment, the gas delivery device 230 includes a chamber cover 232. The chamber cover 232 includes an expansion channel 237 extending from a central portion of the chamber cover 232 and a bottom surface 260 extending from the expansion channel 237 to a peripheral portion of the chamber cover 232. The size and shape of the bottom surface 260 are set to substantially cover the substrate 201 provided on the substrate support 292. The chamber cover 232 may have a choke coil 262 at a peripheral portion of the chamber cover 232 adjacent to the periphery of the substrate 201. The cover 272 includes a part of the expansion channel 237 and gas inlets 236A and 236B. The expansion channel 237 has gas inlets 236A, 236B to provide gas flow from two similar valves 242A, 242B. The air flows from the valves 242A, 242B may be provided together and/or separately.

In one configuration, valve 242A and valve 242B are coupled to separate reactant gas sources, but to the same purge gas source. For example, the valve 242A is coupled to the reactant gas source 238, and the valve 242B is coupled to the reactant gas source 239, and the two valves 242A and 242B are both coupled to the purge gas source 240. Each valve 242A, 242B includes a delivery line 243A, 243B with a valve seat assembly 244A, 244B, and includes a purge line 245A, 245B with a valve seat assembly 246A, 246B. The delivery lines 243A and 243B are in communication with the reactant gas sources 238 and 239 and are in communication with the gas inlets 237A and 237B of the expansion channel 290. The valve seat assemblies 244A, 244B of the delivery lines 243A, 243B control the flow of the reactant gas from the reactant gas sources 238, 239 to the expansion channel 290. The purge lines 245A, 245B communicate with the purge gas source 240 and intersect the delivery lines 243A, 243B downstream of the valve seat assemblies 244A, 244B of the delivery lines 243A, 243B. The valve seat assemblies 246A, 246B of the purification pipelines 245A, 245B control the flow of the purified gas from the purified gas source 240 to the delivery pipelines 243A, 243B. If the carrier gas is used to transport the reactant gas from the reactant gas sources 238 and 239, the same gas can be used as the carrier gas and the purge gas (that is, the argon gas can be used as the carrier gas and the purge gas at the same time).

Each valve 242A, 242B may be a zero dead volume valve to be able to flush reactant gas from the delivery line 243A, 243B when the valve seat assembly 244A, 244B of the valve is closed. For example, the purge lines 245A, 245B may be positioned adjacent to the valve seat assemblies 244A, 244B of the transfer lines 243A, 243B. When the valve seat assemblies 244A, 244B are closed, the purge lines 245A, 245B can provide purge gas to flush the delivery lines 243A, 243B. In the illustrated embodiment, the purge lines 245A, 245B are positioned slightly spaced apart from the valve seat assemblies 244A, 244B of the delivery lines 243A, 243B, so that the purge gas is not directly delivered to the valve seat assemblies 244A, 244B when opened in. A zero dead volume valve as used herein is defined as a valve with a negligible dead volume (that is, not necessarily a zero dead volume). Each valve 242A, 242B may be adapted to provide a combined gas flow and/or separate gas flow of reactant gas from sources 238, 239 and purge gas from source 240. The pulse of purge gas can be provided by opening and closing the diaphragm of the valve seat assembly 246A of the purge line 245A. The pulse of reactant gas from the reactant gas source 238 may be provided by opening and closing the valve seat assembly 244A of the delivery line 243A.

The control unit 280 may be coupled to the chamber 200 to control processing conditions. The control unit 280 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 282, a support circuit 284, and a memory 186 containing related control software 283. The control unit 280 may be one of any form of general-purpose computer processors that can be used to control various chambers and sub-processors in an industrial setting. The CPU 282 can use any suitable memory 186, such as random access memory, read-only memory, floppy disk drive, optical disk drive, hard disk, or any other form of local or remote digital storage device. Various supporting circuits may be coupled to the CPU 282 to support the chamber 200. The control unit 280 may be coupled to another controller located near a separate chamber component, such as a programmable logic controller 248A, 248B of the valves 242A, 242B. The two-way communication between the control unit 280 and various other components of the chamber 200 is processed through a large number of signal cables collectively referred to as signal bus 288, some of which are shown in FIG. 2. In addition to controlling the processing gas and purge gas from the gas sources 238, 239, 240 and the programmable logic controllers 248A, 248B from the valves 242A, 242B, the control unit 280 can also be configured to be responsible for other activities used in substrate processing. Automatic control, such as substrate transfer, temperature control, chamber emptying, etc. Some of these activities are described elsewhere in this article.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 300 suitable for performing a plasma deposition process (for example, plasma enhanced CVD or metal organic CVD), which may be used in semiconductor interconnect structures for semiconductor device manufacturing. The processing chamber 300 may be a suitably adapted, CENTURA®, PRODUCER® SE or PRODUCER® GT or PRODUCER® XP processing system available from Applied Materials, Inc. of Santa Clara, California. It is conceivable that other processing systems, including those produced by other manufacturers, can benefit from the embodiments described herein.

The processing chamber 300 includes a chamber main body 351. The chamber body 351 includes a cover 325 defining an internal volume 326, a side wall 303, and a bottom wall 322.

A substrate support base 350 is provided in the internal volume 326 of the chamber body 351. The base 350 may be made of aluminum, ceramic, aluminum nitride, and other suitable materials. In one embodiment, the base 350 is made of a ceramic material such as aluminum nitride, which is a material suitable for use in a high temperature environment (such as a plasma processing environment) without causing thermal damage to the base 350. A lifting mechanism (not shown) may be used to move the base 350 in the vertical direction in the chamber main body 351.

The base 350 may include an embedded heater element 370 suitable for controlling the temperature of the substrate 301 supported on the base 350. In one embodiment, the base 350 can be resistively heated by applying current from the power supply 306 to the heater element 370. In one embodiment, the heater element 370 may be made of nickel-chromium wire encapsulated in a nickel-iron-chromium alloy (for example, INCOLOY ^® ) jacket tube. The current supplied from the power supply 306 is adjusted by the controller 310 to control the heat generated by the heater element 370 to maintain the substrate 301 and the base 350 at a substantially constant temperature during film deposition in any suitable temperature range. In another embodiment, the base can be kept at room temperature as needed. In yet another embodiment, the base 350 may also include a cooler (not shown) as required to cool the base 350 to a range lower than the required room temperature. The supplied current can be adjusted to selectively control the temperature of the base 350 between about 20 degrees Celsius to about 700 degrees Celsius.

A temperature sensor 372 such as a thermocouple may be embedded in the substrate support base 350, and the temperature of the base 350 may be monitored in a conventional manner. The controller 310 uses the measured temperature to control the power supplied to the heater element 370 to maintain the substrate at a desired temperature.

The base 350 generally includes a plurality of lift pins (not shown) arranged therethrough, and the plurality of lift pins are configured to lift the substrate 301 from the base 350 in a conventional manner and facilitate the exchange of the substrate 301 with a robot (not shown).

The base 350 includes at least one electrode 392 for holding the substrate 301 on the base 350. The electrode 392 is driven by the clamping power supply 308 to generate electrostatic force, which holds the substrate 301 on the surface of the base, as conventionally known. Alternatively, the substrate 301 can be held on the base 350 by clamping, vacuum, or gravity.

In one embodiment, the base 350 is configured as a cathode with an electrode 392 embedded therein, the electrode 392 is coupled to at least one RF bias power supply, shown in Figure 3 as two RF bias power supplies 384, 386 . Although the example depicted in Figure 3 illustrates two RF bias power supplies 384, 386, it should be noted that the number of RF bias power supplies can be any number as needed. The Rf bias power supplies 384 and 386 are coupled between the electrode 392 provided in the base 350 and another electrode, such as the gas distribution plate 342 or the cover 325 of the processing chamber 300. The RF bias power supplies 384, 386 excite and maintain a plasma discharge formed by the gas arranged in the processing area of the processing chamber 300.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the dual RF bias power supplies 384 and 386 are coupled to the electrode 392 provided on the base 350 via the matching circuit 304. The signals generated by the RF bias power supplies 384 and 386 are transmitted to the base 350 via the matching circuit 304 to ionize the gas mixture provided in the processing chamber 300 via a single feed, thereby providing the necessary processing for performing deposition or other plasma enhancement Ion energy. Rf bias power supplies 384, 386 are generally capable of generating RF signals having a frequency from about 50 kHz to about 200 Mhz and a power between about 0 watts and about 5000 watts.

It should be noted that in one example depicted herein, the plasma is only activated when the cleaning process is performed in the processing chamber 300 as needed.

The vacuum pump 302 is coupled to a port formed in the bottom 322 of the chamber body 351. The vacuum pump 302 is used to maintain a desired air pressure in the chamber main body 351. The vacuum pump 302 also discharges the post-processing gas and the by-products of the processing from the chamber body 351.

The processing chamber 300 includes one or more gas delivery channels 344 coupled via a cover 325 of the processing chamber 300. The gas delivery channel 344 and the vacuum pump 302 are located at opposite ends of the processing chamber 300 to induce laminar flow in the internal volume 326 to minimize particle contamination.

The gas delivery channel 344 is coupled to the gas panel 393 via a remote plasma source (RPS) 348 to provide the gas mixture into the internal volume 326. In one embodiment, the gas mixture supplied via the gas delivery channel 344 may be further delivered via the gas distribution plate 342 arranged below the gas delivery channel 344. In one example, a gas distribution plate 342 having a plurality of holes 343 is coupled to the cover 325 of the chamber body 351 above the base 350. The hole 343 of the gas distribution plate 342 is used to introduce the processing gas from the gas panel 393 into the chamber body 351. The holes 343 may have different sizes, numbers, distributions, shapes, designs, and diameters to promote the flow of various processing gases for different processing requirements. The plasma is formed by the process gas mixture leaving the gas distribution plate 342 to enhance the thermal decomposition of the process gas, thereby causing material to be deposited on the surface 391 of the substrate 301.

The gas distribution plate 342 and the substrate support base 350 may form a pair of spaced apart electrodes in the internal volume 326. One or more RF sources 347 provide a bias potential to the gas distribution plate 342 via the matching network 345 to promote the generation of plasma between the gas distribution plate 342 and the base 350. Alternatively, the RF source 347 and the matching network 345 may be coupled to the gas distribution plate 342, the substrate supporting base 350, or to both the gas distribution plate 342 and the substrate supporting base 350, or to be coupled to the chamber body. 351 external antenna (not shown). In one embodiment, the RF source 347 may provide between about 10 watts and about 3000 watts at a frequency of about 30 kHz to about 13.6 Mhz. Alternatively, the RF source 347 may be a microwave generator, which provides microwave power to the gas distribution plate 342 that contributes to the generation of plasma in the internal volume 326.

In one embodiment, a remote plasma source (RPS) 348 may alternatively be coupled to the gas delivery channel 344 to help the gas supplied from the gas panel 393 into the internal volume 326 to form plasma. The remote plasma source 348 provides plasma formed by the gas mixture provided by the gas panel 393 to the processing chamber 300.

The controller 310 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 312, a memory 316, and a support circuit 314, which is used to control the processing sequence and adjust the air flow from the gas panel 393. The CPU 312 may be any form of general-purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrial setting. The software routines can be stored in the memory 316, such as random access memory, read-only memory, floppy disk or hard disk drive, or other forms of digital storage devices. The support circuit 314 is conventionally coupled to the CPU 312, and may include a cache, a clock circuit, an input/output system, a power supply, and so on. The two-way communication between the controller 310 and the various components of the processing chamber 300 is processed through a large number of signal cables collectively referred to as the signal bus 318, some of which are shown in FIG. 3.

Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a processing chamber 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The processing chamber 400 may be used to process one or more substrates, including depositing materials on the upper surface of the substrate (eg, the upper surface 416 of the substrate 408 depicted in Figure 4). The processing chamber 400 includes a chamber body 401 connected to an upper dome 428 and a lower dome 414. In one embodiment, the upper dome 428 may be made of ceramics such as stainless steel, aluminum, or quartz including bubble quartz (for example, quartz with fluid inclusions), alumina, yttrium oxide , Or sapphire. The upper dome 428 may also be formed of coated metal or ceramic. The lower dome 414 may be formed of an optically transparent or translucent material such as quartz. The lower dome 414 is coupled to the chamber main body 401 or becomes an integral part of the chamber main body 401. The chamber main body 401 may include a base plate 460 supporting the upper dome 428.

The array of radiant heating lamps 402 is arranged under the lower dome 414 for heating the back surface 404 and other components of the substrate support 407 arranged in the processing chamber 400. During deposition, the substrate 408 may be brought into the processing chamber 400 and positioned on the substrate support 407 via the load port 403. The lamp 402 is adapted to heat the substrate 408 to a predetermined temperature to promote thermal decomposition of the processing gas supplied into the processing chamber to deposit the material on the upper surface 416 of the substrate 408. The lamp 402 may be adapted to heat the substrate 408 to a temperature of about 300 degrees Celsius to about 1200 degrees Celsius, such as about 300 degrees Celsius to about 950 degrees Celsius.

The lamp 402 may include a bulb 441 surrounded by a selective reflector 443, which is disposed near and below the lower dome 414 to heat the substrate 408 when the processing gas passes above it, This facilitates the deposition of materials on the upper surface 416 of the substrate 408. The lamps 402 are arranged in an annular group with an increased radius around the shaft 432 of the substrate support 407. The shaft 432 is formed of quartz and contains a hollow portion or cavity therein, which reduces the lateral displacement of the radiation energy near the center of the substrate 408, thereby promoting uniform radiation of the substrate 408.

In one embodiment, each light 402 is coupled to a power distribution board (not shown), and power is supplied to each light 402 via the power distribution board. The lamp 402 is located in the lamp cap 445, and the lamp cap 445 may be cooled by, for example, a cooling fluid introduced into the passage 449 between the lamps 402 during or after the treatment. The base 445 thermally cools the lower dome 414 due in part to the close proximity of the base 445 and the lower dome 414. The lamp holder 445 can also cool the lamp wall and the wall of the reflector 443. If necessary, the lamp cap 445 may contact the lower dome 414.

The substrate support 407 can be vertically moved by an actuator (not shown) to a loading position below the processing position to allow the lift pins 405 to contact the lower dome 414. The lift pin 405 passes through the hole 411 in the substrate support 407 and lifts the substrate 108 from the substrate support 407. A robot (not shown) may then enter the processing chamber 400 to bond and remove the substrate 408 from the load port 403. The new substrate is placed on the substrate support 407, and then it can be raised to the processing position to place the substrate 408 so that the upper surface 416 is in contact with the front side 410 of the substrate support 407, and most of the element surface formed on the upper surface Face up.

The substrate support 407 provided in the processing chamber 400 divides the internal volume of the processing chamber 400 into a processing gas area 456 (above the front side 410 of the substrate support 407) and a purge gas area 458 (below the substrate support 407) . The substrate support 407 is rotated by the central axis 432 during processing to minimize the influence of the heat in the processing chamber 400 and the spatial non-uniformity of the processing airflow, and thus promote uniform processing of the substrate 408. The substrate support 407 is supported by a central shaft 432 that moves the substrate 408 in the up and down direction 434 during loading and unloading and in some cases during processing of the substrate 408. The substrate support 407 may be formed of a material having a low thermal mass or low heat capacity, thereby minimizing the energy absorbed and emitted by the substrate support 407.

In one embodiment, the upper dome 428 and the lower dome 414 are formed of an optically transparent or translucent material such as quartz. The upper dome 428 and the lower dome 414 are thin to minimize thermal memory. In one embodiment, the upper dome 428 and the lower dome 414 may have a thickness between about 3 mm and about 10 mm, for example, about 4 mm. The upper dome 428 can be thermally controlled by introducing a thermal control fluid such as cooling gas into the thermal control space 436 through the inlet door 426 and drawing away the thermal control fluid through the outlet door 430. In some embodiments, the cooling fluid circulating through the thermal control space 436 can reduce deposition on the inner surface of the upper dome 428.

The gasket assembly 462 may be disposed in the chamber body 401 and surrounded by the inner periphery of the base plate 460. In one embodiment, the gasket assembly 462 may be made of optically transparent or translucent materials, such as glass, quartz, including bubble quartz (for example, quartz with fluid inclusions), sapphire, opaque quartz, etc. . Alternatively, the gasket assembly 462 may be made of a metal material, such as an aluminum-containing material, if the material is protected from corrosion.

The optical pyrometer 418 may be provided in the area above the upper dome 428. The optical pyrometer 418 measures the temperature of the upper surface 416 of the substrate 408. In some embodiments, multiple pyrometers can be used and can be placed in various positions above the upper dome 428. The reflector 422 may optionally be placed outside the upper dome 428 to reflect infrared light radiated from the substrate 108 or transmitted back by the substrate 108 back to the substrate 408. Due to the reflected infrared light, the heating efficiency can be improved by including heat that might have escaped from the processing chamber 400. The reflector 422 may be made of metal such as aluminum or stainless steel. The reflector 422 may have an entrance door 426 and an exit door 430 to carry the flow of fluid such as water to cool the reflector 422. If necessary, the reflection efficiency can be improved by applying a highly reflective coating (such as a gold coating) on the reflector area.

A plurality of thermal radiation sensors 440 which may be pyrometers or light pipes (for example, sapphire light pipes) may be provided in the lamp holder 445 for measuring the thermal radiation of the substrate 408. The sensors 440 are generally arranged at different positions in the lamp cap 445 to facilitate observation (ie, sensing) of different positions of the substrate 408 during processing. In an embodiment using a light pipe, the sensor 440 may be provided on a part of the chamber body 401 under the lamp cap 445. At least two sensors 440 are used, but more than two sensors can be used.

Each sensor 440 observes an area of the substrate 408 and senses the thermal state of the area. In some embodiments, the regions may be oriented radially. For example, in an embodiment of rotating the substrate 408, the sensor 440 can view, or define, a central area in the central portion of the substrate 408, the central area having a center substantially the same as the center of the substrate 408, of which one or more The area surrounds and is concentric with the central area. The areas need not be concentric and radially oriented. In some embodiments, the regions may be arranged at different positions on the substrate 408 in a non-radial manner.

The processing gas supplied from the processing gas supply source 473 is introduced into the processing gas area 456 via the processing gas inlet port 475 formed in the side wall of the base plate 460. Via the vacuum pump 480 coupled thereto, the removal of the processing gas via the gas outlet port 478 can be facilitated. The purge gas supplied from the purge gas source 463 is introduced into the purge gas area 458 via the purge gas inlet port 464 formed in the side wall of the base plate 460. The purge gas inlet port 464 is arranged at a height below the processing gas inlet port 475. The purge gas inlet port 464 is configured to guide the purge gas in a generally radially inward direction. If desired, the purge gas inlet port 464 may be configured to direct the purge gas in an upward direction. In the film formation process, the substrate support 407 is located at a position such that the purge gas flows through the back side 404 of the substrate support 407 along the flow path 461. Without being limited by any particular theory, the flow of purge gas is considered to prevent or substantially avoid the flow of processing gas into the purge gas region 458, or to reduce the diffusion of the processing gas into the purge gas region 458 (that is, the substrate support The area below piece 407). The purge gas leaves the purge gas region 458 (along the flow path 466) and exits the processing chamber via a gas outlet port 478 located on the opposite side of the processing chamber 400 from the purge gas inlet port 464.

During processing, the controller 482 receives data from the sensor 440 and adjusts the power delivered to each lamp 402 or individual lamp groups or lamp regions based on the data. The controller 482 may include a power source 484 that independently powers each light 402 or light area. The controller 482 can be configured to generate a desired temperature profile on the substrate 408, and based on comparing the data received from the sensor 440, the controller 482 can adjust the power to the lamp and/or the lamp area to make the observed ( That is, the sensed thermal data conforms to the required temperature distribution, and the thermal data indicates the lateral temperature profile of the substrate. The controller 482 can also adjust the power to the lamp and/or the lamp area so that the heat treatment of one substrate matches the heat treatment of the other substrate to prevent the chamber efficiency from drifting over time.

Figure 5 is a schematic top view of an exemplary cluster processing system 500 that includes one or more of the processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400 incorporated and integrated therein. In one embodiment, the cluster processing system 500 may be a Centura® or Endura® integrated processing system available from Applied Materials, Inc. in Santa Clara, California. It is envisaged that other processing systems (including processing systems from other manufacturers) may be adapted to benefit from this disclosure.

The cluster processing system 500 includes a vacuum-sealed processing platform 504, a factory interface 502, and a system controller 544. The platform 504 includes a plurality of processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400 and at least one load lock chamber 522, which is coupled to the vacuum substrate transfer chamber 536. In FIG. 5, two load lock chambers 522 are shown. The factory interface 502 is coupled to the transfer chamber 536 via the load lock chamber 522.

In one embodiment, the factory interface 502 includes at least one docking station 508 and at least one factory interface robot 514 to facilitate the transfer of substrates. The docking station 508 is configured to accept one or more front opening unified pods (FOUP). In the embodiment of Figure 5, two FOUPs 506A-506B are illustrated. The factory interface robot 514 has a blade 516 arranged on one end of the robot 514, which is configured to transfer substrates from the factory interface 502 to the processing platform 504 for processing via the load lock chamber 522. Optionally, one or more metering stations 518 can be connected to the end 526 of the factory interface 502 to facilitate the measurement of substrates from the FOUP 506A-506B.

Each load lock chamber 522 has a first port coupled to the factory interface 502 and a second port coupled to the transfer chamber 536. The load lock chamber 522 is coupled to a pressure control system (not shown). The pressure control system evacuates and vents the load lock chamber 522 to promote the substrate in the vacuum environment of the transfer chamber 536 and the basic environment of the factory interface 502. Pass between environments (for example, atmosphere).

The transfer chamber 536 has a vacuum robot 530 provided therein. The vacuum robot 530 has a blade 534 capable of transferring a substrate 524 between the load lock chamber 522, the metering system 510, and the processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400.

In an embodiment of the cluster processing system 500, the cluster processing system 500 may include one or more of the processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, which may be deposition chambers (e.g., physical vapor deposition chambers, Chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition or other deposition chambers), annealing chambers (for example, high-pressure annealing chamber, RTP chamber, laser annealing chamber), etching chamber, cleaning chamber, pre-cleaning chamber, A curing chamber, a photolithography exposure chamber, or other similar types of semiconductor processing chambers. In some embodiments of the cluster processing system 500, one or more of the processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400, the transfer chamber 536, the factory interface 502, and/or at least one load lock chamber 522.

The system controller 544 is coupled to the cluster processing system 500. The system controller 544, which may include the computing device 501 or may be included in the computing device 501, the system controller 544 uses direct control of the processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400 of the cluster processing system 500 to control the cluster processing system 500 operations. Alternatively, the system controller 544 may control a computer (or controller) associated with the processing chambers 100, 200, 300, 400 and the cluster processing system 500. In operation, the system controller 544 can also collect data and feedback from each chamber to optimize the performance of the cluster processing system 500.

The system controller 544 is very similar to the aforementioned computing device 501, and usually includes a central processing unit (CPU) 538, a memory 540, and a support circuit 542. The CPU 538 may be one or any form of general-purpose computer processor that can be used in an industrial setting. The support circuit 542 is conventionally coupled to the CPU 538, and may include a cache, a clock circuit, an input/output subsystem, a power supply, and so on. The software routine converts the CPU 538 into a dedicated computer (controller) 544. The software routines can also be stored and/or executed by a second controller (not shown) located away from the cluster processing system 500.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example of forming a metal-containing material with a covering protective structure on a metal-containing material used for a semiconductor structure. The structure can be any suitable structure formed on a semiconductor substrate, such as an element or channel structure with conductive and non-conductive regions, fin structure, gate structure, contact structure, front-end structure, back-end structure, or used in semiconductor applications Any other suitable structure. 7A to 7D are schematic cross-sectional views of a part of the substrate 702 corresponding to each stage of the process 600. The process 600 may be used for the channel structure of both conductive and non-conductive regions formed on the substrate in order to form the desired material formed at different positions of the interconnect structure.

The process 600 begins at operation 602 by providing a substrate such as the substrate for processing 702 shown in FIG. 7A. In one embodiment, the substrate 702 may have an element structure 750 to be formed on the substrate 702. The substrate 702 may have a substantially flat surface, an uneven surface, or a substantially flat surface with a structure formed thereon. The substrate 702 shown in FIG. 7A includes a structure or material layer 704 formed on the substrate 702. The structure or material layer 704 may be any suitable structure, such as a gate structure, a contact structure, an interconnection structure, or a cover layer formed on the substrate 702 only as needed. In one embodiment, the substrate 702 may be, for example, crystalline silicon (for example, Si>100> or Si>111>), silicon oxide, strained silicon, silicon germanium, doped or undoped polysilicon, doped or undoped Hybrid silicon wafers and patterned or unpatterned silicon on insulators (SOI), carbon-doped silicon oxide, silicon nitride, doped silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, glass, sapphire . The substrate 702 may have various sizes, such as wafers with diameters of 200 mm, 300 mm, or 450 mm, and rectangular or square panels. Unless otherwise stated, the embodiments and examples described herein are performed on substrates with a diameter of 300 mm or 450 mm.

In operation 604, the substrate 702 is then transferred to a processing chamber, such as the pre-cleaning chamber 100 shown in FIG. 1, which can be combined with the cluster processing system 500 shown in FIG. 5 to perform pre-cleaning on the substrate 702 deal with. It should be noted that the pre-cleaning process at operation 604 is optional based on the substrate surface condition. In some embodiments, the pre-cleaning process performed in operation 604 can help remove surface contamination or surface natural oxides from the substrate surface. In some embodiments, pre-cleaning treatment may not be necessary.

In one example, the pre-cleaning process can be performed by supplying a pre-cleaning gas mixture including a hydrogen etchant. The pre-cleaning gas mixture includes at least hydrogen-containing gas. When hydrogen-containing gas is supplied in the pre-cleaning gas mixture, an inert gas can also be optionally supplied in the pre-cleaning process. Suitable examples of hydrogen-containing gas include H ₂ , H ₂ O, H ₂ O ₂ and the like. Suitable examples of inert gases can also be supplied to the pre-cleaning gas mixture as required. Examples of the inert gas supplied in the gas mixture include Ar, He, Ne, Kr, Xe and the like. In a specific example, the pre-cleaning gas mixture contains H ₂ .

The pre-cleaning gas mixture is supplied into the substrate processing area 141 via the chamber plasma area 121 to form a remote plasma source in the chamber plasma area 121 from the pre-cleaning gas mixture to remove surface contaminants and natural oxidation Things. The amount of gas introduced from the pre-cleaning gas mixture into the processing chamber 100 can be changed and adjusted to suit, for example, the thickness of natural oxides or the amount of surface contaminants to be removed.

The remote plasma power from the power supply 152 is generated to form plasma in the chamber plasma region 121 from the supplied pre-cleaning gas mixture at operation 604. During the pre-cleaning process of operation 604, the plasma generated at the distal end of the chamber plasma region 121 can dissociate the etchant to form a relatively gentle and gentle etchant, thereby slowly, gently and gradually etching surface contaminants And natural oxide, for example, isotropic etching treatment. The remote plasma treatment provides good control of interface cleaning and improves etching selectivity.

At operation 606, a first deposition process is performed to form a transition metal-containing material 706 on the material layer 704 on the substrate 702, as shown in FIG. 7B. The deposition process may be the ALD process performed on the ALD processing chamber 200 shown in FIG. 2, or the CVD process performed on the CVD processing chamber 400 shown in FIG. 4, or a combination in the cluster processing system 500 Other suitable processing chambers. In one embodiment, the transition metal-containing material 706 is a two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide layer. The transition metal-containing material 706 may be formed in a crystalline state or an amorphous state. The thickness of the two-dimensional crystalline or amorphous transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 is 0.5 nm to 100 nm. The two-dimensional crystalline or amorphous transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 has the formula MX ₂ , where M includes molybdenum (Mo) or tungsten (W), and X includes sulfur (S), selenium (Se), or tellurium (Te). Suitable examples of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 include MoS ₂ , WS ₂ , MoSe ₂ , WSe ₂ and the like.

In one embodiment, the deposition process may be performed by supplying a deposition gas mixture including a metal-containing precursor into the processing chamber. Suitable examples of metal-containing precursors include Mo(NMe ₂ ) ₄ , MoCl ₅ , MoF ₆ , tetramethyl-3,5-pimelic acid (Mo(thd) ₃ ), Mo(CO) ₆ , WF ₆ , W ₂ (NMe ₂ ) ₆ and so on. It is also possible to provide some reactant gas in the deposition gas mixture. Suitable examples of reactant gases include H ₂ S, H ₂ Se, 1,2-ethanedithiol, dimethyl disulfide, diethyl disulfide, diethyl sulfide, and the like. Other purification gases and/or dilution gases (such as Ar, He, N ₂ , N ₂ O, NO ₂ , NH ₃ ) can also be provided with deposition gas mixtures as required. In an example where the deposition process is a MOCVD process, the deposition gas mixture includes Mo(CO) ₆ and H ₂ S or diethyl sulfide gas.

In an exemplary embodiment, the processing pressure is adjusted between about 10 mTorr and about 5000 mTorr, for example, between about 400 mTorr and about 2000 mTorr. The RF source power or the RF bias power may or may not be provided to the silicon-containing gas. The temperature of the substrate is maintained at approximately 25 degrees Celsius to approximately 450 degrees Celsius.

In operation 608, a thermal annealing process is then performed on the substrate 702 to heat the substrate 702 to form a processed metal layer 708, as shown in FIG. 7C. The thermal annealing process may be performed in a processing chamber, such as the thermal processing chamber 400 depicted in Figure 4, which is incorporated in the cluster processing system 500 depicted in Figure 5. The thermal annealing process is performed to repair, densify, and enhance the lattice structure of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706. For example, after the heat/anneal treatment, the two-dimensional metal chalcogenide layer 706 may have a stronger (100) or sharper (110) plane peak under XRD analysis compared to, for example, no heat/anneal treatment, thereby The crystallinity of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 is enhanced. The thermal annealing process can also be performed to change the composition of the two-dimensional metal chalcogenide layer 706 by removing impurities or adding or removing chalcogenide to form the desired stoichiometry of MX ₂ .

The thermal annealing process may be performed in a thermal annealing chamber such as the processing chamber 400 depicted in FIG. 4. Alternatively, the annealing process may be performed in any processing chamber configured to provide sufficient thermal energy to the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 provided on the substrate 702. The thermal annealing process can heat the substrate 702 to a temperature greater than 400 degrees Celsius, for example, between about 600 degrees Celsius and about 1500 degrees Celsius, such as between about 800 degrees Celsius and about 1200 degrees Celsius, so as to make a two-dimensional transition. The metal chalcogenide layer 706 is recrystallized.

During annealing, an annealing gas mixture may be supplied. The gas that can be supplied in the annealing gas mixture may include nitrogen-containing gas such as NH ₃ , N ₂ , etc., inert gas such as Ar, He, Ne, Kr, Xe, etc., or such as H2S, diethyl sulfide, diethyl Disulfide, sulfur-containing gas such as elemental sulfur, or selenium-containing gas such as H ₂ Se.

After the thermal annealing treatment, as shown in Figure 7C, the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 can become a treated metal layer 708 with a desired crystallinity, which has a crystal orientation mainly on one plane, for example (001 )flat. The thermal energy provided in the thermal annealing treatment helps crystallize the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 from an amorphous state to a crystalline state or enhance the crystallization of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706 (for example, increase the grain size , Reduce grain boundaries, or better align the crystals with the substrate, etc.), thereby effectively enhancing the electrical performance of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706. The thermal energy provided during the thermal annealing process of operation 608 helps to grow the crystal grains from an amorphous state to a large size into crystalline grains, thereby enhancing the crystallinity of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706.

In some examples, the thermal annealing process performed at operation 608 may be a rapid thermal annealing process, a laser annealing process, a furnace annealing process, or any suitable thermal annealing process as needed.

In operation 610, after the thermal annealing treatment, a capping layer 710 may be optionally and selectively formed on the processed metal layer 708, as shown in FIG. 7D. The cover layer 710 may also be a metal-containing layer formed by the ALD process performed at the ALD processing chamber 200 depicted in FIG. 2 or the CVD process performed at the CVD processing chamber 400 depicted in FIG. Both the ALD processing chamber and the CVD processing chamber are integrated in the cluster processing system 500 depicted in FIG. 5.

In one example, the cover layer 710 may cover the processed metal layer 708 to reduce the possibility of excessive diffusion of metal elements or oxidation from the surface during subsequent processing cycles, thereby reducing the possibility of electron migration or other component failures. The cover layer 710 is selected to be made of a material with relatively good interfacial barrier performance to prevent the metal elements from the processed metal layer 708 from diffusing outward once the substrate 702 is removed from the cluster processing system 500 and exposed to air Nearby insulating materials, or prevent surface oxidation. In one embodiment, the covering layer 710 may be a metal-containing layer, such as a cobalt-containing material, a tungsten-containing material, a nickel-containing material, an aluminum-containing material, a ruthenium-containing material, a molybdenum-containing material, or a manganese-containing material. s material. In another example, the capping layer 710 may be a dielectric material, such as SiN, SiO ₂ , SiON, SiC, SiOC, HfO ₂ , ZrO ₂ , Al ₂ O _3, etc. In one embodiment, the capping layer 710 is SiN, SiO ₂ , or HfO ₂ .

In one example, the cover layer 710 is composed of cyclical layer deposition (CLD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), thermal CVD, pulse- CVD treatment, PE-CVD treatment, pulse PE-CVD treatment, or thermal ALD treatment.

It should be noted that in a cluster processing system, such as the cluster processing system 500 depicted in Figure 5, the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706, the processed metal layer 708, and the overlay can be deposited and completed in situ.层710. In some examples, one of the coating layer deposition or annealing treatment may be deposited ex-situ in different processing chambers of the multi-chamber processing system as needed. The in-situ formation of the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer 706, the treated metal layer 708, and the cover layer 710 can reduce the possibility of surface oxidation and contamination in the metal device structure, thereby enhancing the electrical performance of the device and reducing the manufacturing cycle time And cost.

Therefore, there is provided a method and apparatus for forming a metal-containing material with covering protection of an element structure such as a channel structure. The covering layer together with the metal-containing material and its heat treatment, in a cluster processing system without breaking the vacuum, can effectively protect the metal wire from diffusion and surface contamination, thereby eliminating the possibility of electron migration or current leakage, and maintaining Good interface control. By applying appropriate covering protection and heat treatment to the metal-containing material of the device structure integrally formed in the cluster processing chamber, the metal device structure can be controlled with desired electrical characteristics and surface protection, thereby improving device performance.

Although the foregoing content is directed to the embodiments of this disclosure, other and further embodiments of this disclosure can be designed without departing from the basic scope of this disclosure, and the scope of which is defined by the scope of the attached application .

100: processing chamber 109: First channel 110: Remote Plasma System 111: Gas inlet assembly 112: Chamber body 113: second channel 114: slit valve opening 115: Channel 116: open 120: liner 121: chamber plasma area 123: cover assembly 124: Insulating ring 125: hole 126: length 129: Pump channel 130: Vacuum pump 131: Vacuum port 132: Throttle Valve 141: Substrate processing area 151: hollow volume 152: Power 153: Perforated partition 156: Through hole 166: pump area 180: support components 183: Lifting mechanism 185: support member 186: Memory 187: Shaft 188: bellows 192: Hole 193: Lift Pin 195: Lifting ring 196: Edge Ring 198: Fluid Channel 199: Heat transfer pipe 200: processing chamber 201: Substrate 214: Lift 216: Lifting board 218: Lifting plate actuator 220: pin 222: Purification Ring 224: Purification Channel 229: Chamber body 230: Gas delivery equipment 232: chamber cover 233: slit valve channel 236A: Gas inlet 236B: Gas inlet 237: extended channel 237A: Gas inlet 237B: Gas inlet 238: Reactant Gas Source 239: reactant gas source 240: Purified gas source 242A: Valve 242B: Valve 243A: Transmission pipeline 243B: Transmission pipeline 244A: Valve seat assembly 244B: Valve seat assembly 245A: Purification line 245B: Purification line 246A: Valve seat assembly 246B: Valve seat assembly 248A: Logic Controller 248B: Logic Controller 260: bottom surface 262: Choke 272: Cover 278: Pump System 279: pump channel 280: control unit 282: CPU 283: Software 284: Support circuit 288: Bus 290: extended channel 292: substrate support 300: processing chamber 301: Substrate 302: Vacuum pump 303: Sidewall 304: matching circuit 306: Power 308: clamping power supply 310: Controller 312: Central Processing Unit 314: Support circuit 316: Memory 318: Bus 322: bottom 325: cover 326: Internal volume 342: Gas Distribution Plate 343: hole 344: Gas Delivery Channel 345: matching network 347: RF source 348: Remote Plasma Source 350: base 351: Chamber body 370: heater element 372: Temperature Sensor 384: Power 386: Power 391: Surface 392: Electrode 393: Gas Panel 400: processing chamber 401: Chamber body 402: Heating lamp 403: load port 404: back side 405: Lift pin 407: substrate support 408: substrate 410: front 411: hole 414: lower dome 416: upper surface 418: Optical Pyrometer 422: reflector 426: Entrance Door 428: upper dome 430: Exit Door 432: Axis 434: direction 436: Thermal Control Space 440: Thermal radiation sensor 441: Bulb 443: reflector 445: Lamp holder 449: Channel 456: Processing gas area 458: Clean Gas Area 460: base plate 461: Flow Path 462: Pad assembly 463: Purifying Gas Source 464: Purge gas inlet port 473: Process gas supply source 475: Process gas inlet port 478: Gas outlet port 480: Vacuum pump 482: Controller 484: Power 500: cluster processing system 501: Computing Device 502: Factory Interface 504: Processing Platform 506A-506B: FOUP 508: docking station 510: Metering System 514: Robot 516: Blade 518: Metering Station 522: Load Lock Chamber 524: substrate 526: End 530: Robot 534: Blade 536: Transfer Chamber 538: Central Processing Unit 540: Memory 542: Support circuit 544: System Controller 600: processing 602: Operation 604: Operation 606: Operation 608: Operation 610: Operation 612: Operation 702: substrate 704: structure or material layer 706: material 708: Metal layer 710: Overlay 750: component structure

In order to understand the above features of the present disclosure in detail, the present disclosure can be described in more detail by referring to the embodiments. The detailed description of the disclosure is briefly summarized above, and some of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. In the icon. However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate typical embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore should not be regarded as limiting its scope, because the present disclosure may recognize other equivalent embodiments.

Figure 1 depicts a pre-cleaning processing chamber that can be used to perform pre-cleaning processing on a substrate;

Figure 2 depicts a device that can be used to perform an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 3 depicts an apparatus that can be used to implement a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 4 depicts a device that can be used to implement a thermal annealing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 depicts an embodiment of a cluster processing system. The cluster processing system may have processing chambers from FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, which are combined with the processing chambers for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a method for forming a metal-containing material on a substrate; and

FIGS. 7A to 7D depict an example of the sequence of forming a metal-containing material on the substrate during the manufacturing process according to the process shown in FIG. 6.

For ease of understanding, where possible, the same element symbols have been used to represent the same elements that are common in the drawings. It is conceivable that the elements and features of one embodiment can be beneficially incorporated into other embodiments without further description.

However, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure, and therefore should not be considered as limiting its scope, as the present disclosure may recognize other equivalent embodiments.

Domestic deposit information (please note in the order of deposit institution, date and number) no Foreign hosting information (please note in the order of hosting country, institution, date and number) no

600: processing

602: Operation

604: Operation

606: Operation

608: Operation

610: Operation

612: Operation

Claims (20)

A method for a device structure of a semiconductor device includes the following steps: Forming a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer on a substrate arranged in a first processing chamber in a cluster processing system; Heat-treating the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer to form a processed metal layer in a second processing chamber provided in the cluster processing system; and A covering layer is formed on the processed metal layer disposed in a third processing chamber in the cluster processing system. The method according to claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer is at least one of MoS ₂ , WS ₂ , MoSe ₂ , and WSe ₂ . The method according to claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer is formed by an atomic layer deposition process. The method according to claim 1, wherein the covering layer is formed by a chemical vapor deposition process. The method according to claim 1, wherein the covering layer is at least one of SiN, SiO ₂ , SiON, SiC, SiOC, HfO ₂ , ZrO ₂ , and Al ₂ O ₃ . The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of heat-treating the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer further comprises: Maintain a substrate temperature between about 600 degrees Celsius to about 1500 degrees Celsius. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide further comprises: providing a deposition gas mixture, the deposition gas mixture including a metal-containing precursor and a reactant gas, wherein the metal-containing The precursor is selected from Mo(NMe ₂ ) ₄ , MoCl ₅ , MoF ₆ , tetramethyl-3,5-pimelic acid (Mo(thd) ₃ ), Mo(CO) ₆ , WF ₆ , and W ₂ ( NMe ₂ ) A group consisting of ₆ . The method according to claim 7, wherein the reactant gas is selected from H ₂ S, H ₂ Se, 1,2-ethanedithiol, dimethyl disulfide, diethyl disulfide and diethyl sulfide The group of ethers. The method according to claim 7, wherein the deposition gas mixture includes Mo(CO) ₆ and H ₂ S or diethyl sulfide. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of heat-treating the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer further comprises: The two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer is converted into a crystalline state. The method described in claim 1, further comprising the following steps: Before forming the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer, the substrate is pre-cleaned in a pre-cleaning chamber integrated in the cluster processing system. The method according to claim 11, wherein the substrate is pre-cleaned by a remote plasma source, and the remote plasma source is generated by a hydrogen-containing gas mixture in the pre-cleaning chamber. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer, the processed metal layer, and the covering layer are formed without breaking vacuum in the cluster processing chamber. The method according to claim 1, wherein the covering layer is at least one of SiN, SiO ₂ , and HfO ₂ . A method for a device structure of a semiconductor device includes the following steps: Perform a first deposition process on a substrate in a cluster processing system without breaking the vacuum to form a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer; Perform a heat treatment process on the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer in the cluster processing system without breaking the vacuum; and In the cluster processing system, a second deposition process is performed without breaking the vacuum to form a cover layer on the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer. The method according to claim 15, wherein the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer is at least one of MoS ₂ , WS ₂ , MoSe ₂ , and WSe ₂ . The method according to claim 15, wherein the first deposition process is an atomic layer deposition process or a chemical vapor deposition process. The method according to claim 15, wherein the second deposition process is an atomic layer deposition process or a chemical vapor deposition process. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first deposition process is performed by providing a gas mixture including Mo(CO) ₆ and H ₂ S or diethyl sulfide to form the two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer . A cluster processing system includes: A first deposition chamber configured to form a two-dimensional transition metal chalcogenide layer, wherein the first deposition chamber is an atomic layer deposition chamber or a chemical vapor deposition chamber. An annealing chamber; A second deposition chamber; and A pre-cleaning chamber.

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